The Bishan library came up in an article written by Laura Powers for American magazine Newsweek’s online page. The library shared plaudits with eight other libraries around the world for its innovative design. The other eight are Kansas City Library in the USA, Biblioteca Vasconcelos in Mexico, Stuttgart City Library in Germany, Biblioteca Sandro Penna in Italy, Beach Library in Bulgaria, The Camel Library Service in Kenya, Seikei University Library in Japan and Macquarie University Library in Australia.
The article highlights the glass pods that stick out of the building and the open-plan children’s room on the basement level that prevents noise from filtering upwards and disturbing those above.
The Bishan library cost about S$10 million to build and construction took place from 2003 to 2006. It was designed by Look Boon Gee and is four storeys high with a basement. The library has won a number of awards for its architecture including the President’s Design Award in 2007 and the International Architecture Award in 2009.
Opened on 1 September 2006, the library is a short walk from Bishan MRT station. To get an inside look at the library, you can take a look at Youtube account Runner Kao’s video here. To view some photos of the library you can visit this page.